Those supposedly unprofitable Regional Jets? Well, at NWAirlink, Pinnacle Airlines, we can break even with 12 pax in a CRJ. Is that unprofitable? NWAirlink is the only profitable part of NWA in these times. We plan to hire 300-500 pilots this next year. We also have agreed to take on NWA furloughed pilots, of which only 47 have applied.
The agreement is that a furloughed NWA pilot may work for NWAirlink, starting at the bottom of Airlink's senioity. The pilot must work for 18 months before returning to NWA, at his/her old seniority. A failure during training means getting fired from both Airlink and NWA.
NWAirlink Pinnacle Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of NWA, but has been offered up as an IPO. However, it seems that NWA is holding all of the stock.